Part of This
by reiko.souma
Summary: In a "very normal" world is a "very normal" girl, and the "very normal" life takes one of those turns...good versus evil starts to become all too real in unexpected ways. [Please see disclaimer for time and possible spoiler alert.] Rated T for now.
1. World

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of the Supernatural series. All I do is show my love for writing by incorporating Reiko Souma and her guardian (both of whom belong to me) into whatever I enjoy. Also, please keep in mind that I only started to watch the television series on DVD at the end of August and am at season seven. So, not all of the characters that have been introduced to date will be in this story. Please bear with me, and feel free to give feedback in whatever way you want.

This story is based on an idea of a pairing that I - laugh if you want - half-envisioned during class one day, half-dreamed about one night. I hope you enjoy a slightly unique twist on CastielxOC that doesn't take him out of character!

I'm also dedicating this story to all of my followers on my Reiko Souma role-play page on Facebook. Congratulations, and thank you, to all of you for doing your part in helping me to reach and surpass one hundred (100) "likes" on Facebook! We did this together! :D

* * *

"I don't think I'm at Tokyo University anymore," she stated aloud. One moment, she was sitting at her desk. There was an Advanced Placement Abnormal Psychology exam coming up and, despite it being tomorrow, Reiko Souma wanted to be as well-prepared as possible. Now she was standing outside...wait, where exactly outside was she? Even more, _how_ did she get to where she was now at? The university was nowhere in sight.

Now another question came to her mind. Was she dead? Had she not had her scrapes with anaemia and emotional issues to heal from some more, the woman might actually be frightened. Surprise, she wasn't. Nor wtas she surprised. If this indeed was her time, then she was ready to accept it. There were just no guarantees that her life would bring her any reward for good behaviour. Part of her was convinced that she had done nothing good to deserve the blessing of a happy afterlife.

A soft whoosh tussled her long bubblegum pink hair about. "You seem resigned to accept your fate, no matter what the outcome." The deep voice of a man spoke behind her. When Reiko turned around, she saw that he was standing some distance away. Whoever this man was, he wasn't wrong. "However, this isn't yet your time, although I will return you to your previous environment shortly."

 _I think I've been in Japan too long. Who uses terminology such as 'previous environment' to describe someone's dormitory room?_ It was rather archaic, to say the least. Nobody speaks like that anymore. Or, so the psychology major thought. This guy apparently did. "So, if it's not my time, then why am I here?" Reiko couldn't help but ask. Her deep pink eyes were curious, probing, seeking to find out more. "Why are you here...wherever here is?" And again, how?

The man's crystal blue eyes were pure and piercing as they made direct contact with the woman standing before him. He hadn't begun to bridge the distance with her, and she hadn't budged an inch. "I'm here because I'm an Angel of the Lord, Reiko Souma. You're here because I brought you here, to show you what lies in your short-term future. Behold." With a snap of his fingers, Reiko found herself in another new environment.

Now she was in a hospital. This, she was used to. What she wasn't used to was seeing herself lay in the bed when she was standing right there. Seriously, this couldn't be real. Turning to her left, she saw the man who called himself an Angel standing beside her. "I'm seeing myself...but I'm used to being in the hospital. I've been sick all of my life. How is this different?" Reiko asked.

"Take a look at your vital signs," she was instructed, so she did just that. They were as low as they usually were, she pointed out. "At this point in time, ten years into the future, you've been holding those markers for well over two weeks." Again, this wasn't anything new. "You'll be like this for four months, Reiko."

Now _that_ was new! "Do I die afterwards?" she asked. Her voice didn't shake at all. Neither did it falter. Then again, did she really want to know?

"That is not for you to know as of now." In other words, she shouldn't have asked.

"Fair enough." There was no use in pursuing this point, so she let it die. "Next question, is there anything that you require of me?"

The Angel placed two fingers against Reiko's forehead. As if she blinked, she suddenly found herself standing inside of her dormitory room once more. "Upon your return to your hometown, go home to the man who raised you for awhile. He worries for you more than he cares to inform you." She blinked, and he was gone. Now she was alone again, unsure of what to think about all of this. One thing she was sure of, was that nobody would believe her if she was to say anything about a man who called himself an Angel and took her to a couple of places with a snap of his fingers or a touch to her forehead.

 _I'm sure Shourim worries far more than anyone could ever realise,_ Reiko thought as she returned to her studies.

—•—•—•—

Fortunately, this was Reiko's final semester. What better way to release some of the pent-up stress before finals, than to take a walk around campus? Outside, the air was chilling and getting chillier. It was fine by her. She pulled her black fleece jacket from the coat rack and put it on before grabbing her keys. Having been captain of her high school's track team, she was used to going out for a jog every now and then. This afternoon's exercise would be more relaxed and in the form of a walk.

Tokyo International University's campus was absolutely gorgeous. Several hundred acres of grass was laid out beautifully with several pathways neatly paved for the walkers to enjoy scenic routes between buildings. Students who were weary from travelling to and from their respective destinations could easily stop and sit on one of the many benches that dotted the distance every several metres. Each of them were passed by a walking Reiko, who didn't stop for even a moment to rest. She walked along until she saw gentle white flecks starting to come down.

 _It's snowing..._ Coming to a stop, she raised her hands up to shoulder level and turned her palms upward to receive the snow. Welcoming it happily, Reiko then tilted her head towards the sky. This moment was simply-

"A beautiful moment before you, yes?" Reiko lowered her head to meet eyes with the Angel. Her hands soon fell to her sides as well. "Each flake represents a good deed that covers over evil with its blanket of purity. Much like what you've been trying to do recently." A snowflake landed on Reiko's nose before melting. Then another snowflake landed on her shoulder as she tried to figure out how this Angel guy knew these things about her.

Which wasn't remotely close to fair when she knew next to nothing about him. "How do you know all of these things about me when I only know one thing about you?" the woman finally asked. She knew that he was an Angel of the Lord, as his bringing her to places that one couldn't get to instantaneously otherwise had shown. "Do you have a name, for instance?"

And, did he believe in smiling? For an Angel, this man sure looked very sad. Reiko thought that heavenly beings were supposed to be happy and radiating with it religiously. Why wasn't he smiling? His eyes failed to hide a feeling of sorrow within.

"My name is Castiel, Reiko. My Father sent me to watch over you," came the answer at last. So, Angels did have names! Mystery solved.

"Why me?" she couldn't not ask. "Is it because of my health and what you showed me the last time I saw you?"

He nodded, coming closer to the woman. "I couldn't help but notice your lack of a jacket." Seriously? There were so many things that Castiel could say, and he had to point out that she was missing a jacket? Angels apparently didn't know much about women's fashion.

"I'm wearing a three-thousand yen jacket that's made out of fake fleece," Reiko corrected him. That was when he reached out his right hand and placed it on her left shoulder. It felt soft, but strong. His hand was also a good deal bigger than her own. That had to be an Angel thing right there, their hands being bigger than that of humans. "Okay. Why are you really here, Castiel? My gut tells me there's more to your visit than your god sending you to watch over me and lecture me on my fashion."

"You've been carrying a terrible burden on your shoulders since your parents died-"

"Nobody talks about my parents, especially if they never knew them," Reiko cut in, suddenly not liking where this conversation was going.

But, Castiel remained calm. "Your burden is what's been giving your stress the fuel to getting sick," he said, finishing his original statement, "I'm here to warn you today. It's time to start releasing that burden from your life if you don't want to be hospitalised extensively." Or repeatedly, like she has been in the past.

"Yeah, well...what if I don't know how to let it go?" Swallowing a forming lump, the woman tried to not let tears form in her eyes. She would be the first to admit that she missed her parents dearly, even after they had abused her so harshly and neglected her to a point. She missed the smile that she had seen on their faces on the day of their return from Las Vegas. "They're burning in Hell whilst I go on...living. Missing them. Wanting to see them smile again. Wanting to know..." Reiko swallowed another forming lump. "...wanting to know if they really were going to change for the better like Shourim tried to tell me they had." That did it for her. Bring on the tear factory.

Crying during the first snow wasn't something that Reiko expected. She just wanted to walk around campus to relieve some of the stress that came with preparing for the last final exams ever. All of her classes required an extensive research paper, which Reiko had finished yesterday. She was ready to turn them in to her respective professors. Then she would have to answer hundreds of questions and write a lengthy essay on each final. Finally, the woman had to prepare her valedictorian speech since there was plenty of talk going around of her being at the top of her graduating class. All of Reiko's classes had been Honors classes, after all.

Her thoughts about finals and graduation scattered when she felt two strong arms coming around her gently, pulling her to him. Reiko was still crying. Shoot. She really didn't like crying in front of anyone, especially in public. Yet that was exactly what was going on right now. She was crying, and Castiel the Angel of the Lord was comforting her. "Your parents aren't burning in Hell, Reiko," he reassured her. Oh, he had better not be lying! Her eyes widened. "They also watch over you, and they are proud of you."

She was crying harder now, a borderline sad case of sobs as she stood there in Castiel's comforting hug. If Angels were even supposed to give physical comfort like this, then it was appreciated. Although Reiko wasn't hugging him in return, she did appreciate this. His standing some centimetres shy of two metres in height allowed the woman to use the Angel as a shield to hide her sorrow from the world around her.

 _Come on, Reiko. Get it together. You don't even know if Castiel's job duties include providing physical comfort to a sobbing human who clearly misses her parents._ Nor did she know whether her arms coming around him in appreciation for his kindness was allowed. She didn't want an army of Angels coming after her over some technicality.

Not to mention she valued her life! She reached one hand to quickly wipe her still-coming tears from her eyes just as Castiel pressed her closer to him. It was like hugging a somewhat firm wall, at least until she felt his lips pressing against her right temple. They were surprisingly warm. She thought that he would be stone cold, but no. He wasn't.

"You should rest now, Reiko," Castiel said softly in Reiko's ear. Opening her eyes showed that the two of them were back inside of her room. How had that happened? Then she remembered. Angels can teleport people to certain places. She used her hand to keep drying her tears, now that her crying was slowed. When she looked up, Castiel was looking at her with what...concern? Indifference? Reiko couldn't tell. "I'll come see you again soon, Reiko Souma," he said, moving back from her. One blink, and he was gone. How did he _do_ that?

It then dawned on Reiko what Castiel had done. The Angel had kissed her. Nobody's ever done that before, at least until now. Of all the possible choices, it had to be an Angel.

 _An Angel gave me my first kiss._ Not a person, an Angel. Even though he had kissed her temple, it was still a first kiss. Nobody was going to believe her if she ever told them. If. Reiko wasn't going to for one reason: who would believe her? Not only that, but they would never let her hear the end of it. Some of her classmates - Reiko didn't really have any friends at all - would laugh her off as having been drunk and tell her to sleep it off, it just might be a dream.

Reiko wasn't going to tell anybody.

"Castiel's right," the woman said to herself aloud. She had paid the extra money for a private dormitory room, not wanting to share a room with anybody. She took her studies very seriously and didn't want to have a reason to blame anyone or anything for her grades being less than perfect. "I do need to rest." Finding her iPod Touch, Reiko plugged her headphones into it and shut her eyes. The sounds of Tchaikovsky filled her ears as she shut her eyes and soon drifted into a peacefully deep sleep.

* * *

So, this is the start of what I hope will be a successful first Supernatural story. I hope I didn't do a bad job with Castiel! Please leave your thoughts if you'd like, or if you think I need a beta to preview before I post anymore chapters, then feel free to tell me that as well. Otherwise, I'll just keep plugging along. Anyhow, thank you for reading!


	2. Feel

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of the Supernatural series. All I do is show my love for writing by incorporating Reiko Souma and her guardian (both of whom belong to me) into whatever I enjoy. Also, please keep in mind that I only started to watch the television series on DVD at the end of August and am now in season nine. So, not all of the characters that have been introduced to date will be in this story. Please bear with me, and feel free to give feedback in whatever way you want.

This story is based on an idea of a pairing that I - laugh if you want - half-envisioned during class one day, half-dreamed about one night. I hope you enjoy a slightly unique twist on CastielxOC that doesn't take him out of character!

I'm dedicating this story to all of my followers on my Reiko Souma role-play page on Facebook. Congratulations, and thank you, to all of you for doing your part on Facebook! We did this together! :D

* * *

 _"I'll come see you again soon, Reiko Souma," he said, moving back from her. One blink, and he was gone. How did he do that?_

Dear Fate, that felt like a clash of time right there. Stranger things had happened, Reiko supposed, but none as strange as that visit she received. Following that fateful visit from the first angel she's ever met face-to-face was the downhill ride from midterms to finals. This was her graduating semester where she would soon receive her Master's in Psychology. At her age, such should probably take longer to accomplish. She wasn't a Mary Sue of any sort, though. Not everybody liked her; in fact, not many spoke to her. Was it her unusual features? Maybe. No, definitely. She didn't notice or care was all.

Thesis were written, typed up at a painstaking pace that would make a computer science major cry from absolute boredom. Chances were that paint has dried and grass has grown faster than the three-finger pecking that Reiko did with each hand. It was December before she knew it, those papers were handed in, and she was on the verge of graduating before she knew it. That meant returning to the United States, back to her hometown in the country's most dangerous city ever: Camden, New Jersey. Honestly, why did she still live there?

Right. Her guardian has his practise with medicine in the city, and Reiko never bothered looking for somewhere else to live during her time in university. As much as she liked Tokyo, and the locals have been decent otherwise, the woman was homesick. The jog that she was currently enjoying on campus grounds for the last time did little to ease this feeling of longing for the place she's been calling home for the last several years.

Gracefully dotting the ground that one foot touched at a time were white snowflakes of different sizes. Snow was coming down for the first time. It was beautiful enough to appreciate from inside, sitting at a window and looking out. At the moment, Reiko was wearing black yoga pants and a pink shirt beneath a black jacket. The cold didn't get to her easily, but not everybody shared that sentiment or was inclined to agree.

"I couldn't help but notice that you appear to be dressed out of season." The voice belonging to the suit and trench coat-wearing presence now standing before her halted Reiko's jog almost immediately. Castiel was standing just less than two feet from her, but what the Hell? He was really going to comment on her attire instead of giving her a proper greeting?

For the sake of personal space, Reiko took a step backwards. "Hello, Castiel." The woman looked around them quickly. "Other people...can they see you?" she asked quietly. The angel nodded. "Okay...you're not here to tell me that my jogging clothes aren't meant to be worn in the snow, I hope. This is all I have left until I go home."

"Oh." Her response had put the angel at a loss of words other than the single word answer. He looked down, his head lowering some with his eyes. It was then that Reiko picked up on the same sad countenance that she had noticed the first time she had seen him. Why that was, she didn't know. Angels were supposed to be happier than what she saw in Castiel; so Reiko thought.

Imagine her surprise when she watched that same angel raise his left hand towards her face. "Castiel, what are you doing?" Reiko asked. She raised her hand to match his movement. "Not out in the open...people will freak out. At least go inside before you do...uh...whatever it is you want to do." Another look around showed a pavilion that hardly anybody used. There was also a giant garden maze. That, the graduating university student knew, would have nobody wandering about as long as it was snowing. "I know a place. Come." Without thinking about her actions, Reiko gently took hold of Castiel's hand and started to pull him away. The angel let the woman pull him along. He noticed where they were headed and gripped her hand tightly. Once they were inside of the maze and out of sight, the angel teleported them away.

They reappeared deep within the maze, in the very centre. "Is this...inside?" Castiel asked.

Reiko was blinking. It took a moment for her to get over the shock. Then she walked over to the front of the arch and peeked out. Nobody. The entire maze outside of this area was void of presence. "Whoa...I'd say this is the inside, all right. We're in the very middle!" The woman turned around. Castiel hadn't moved from where he stood, so she walked back over to him. "Now that we're here...what did you want to do?"

"This." He placed his hand on one shoulder, and they disappeared again. This time, they reappeared in the middle of a blizzard. Or, at least Reiko did. Castiel wasn't standing in front of her. Where did he go? The woman looked around. Suddenly, two hands were on her slender shoulders. Reiko gasped. "It's all right, Reiko. I'm not going to hurt you." She only looked a little bit frightened is all! Seeing translucent black in front of her didn't help in that matter. Were those wings? "You don't have to be afraid. This is my true form."

She blinked. One hand reached out to lightly poke at the wing. "Is this..?" Before she could reach, her hand stopped. Some of the research that she had done indicated that humans weren't supposed to see the true form of an angel. "Am I allowed to?" Reiko wanted to know if she could turn around without losing her eyeballs. The hands that were on her shoulders started to turn her around slowly. She was soon facing Castiel in his true form.

"It's all right, Reiko. You're allowed to see me as I am." This was a surprise in and of itself. Had her research been wrong? Now would have to be the time for Reiko to wonder about this. She was willing to bet that nobody who wrote the books she had read, has ever met an angel face-to-face as she had. Never mind seeing their true form at all. "You have doubt." That was posed as more of a statement than it was a question, even though she knew it was a question. A nod was given at this. "You...don't think you should be allowed to see my true form."

Reiko nodded again. This time, she looked around. This blizzard wasn't what she had expected to see. "Where are we, by the way?" she asked, removing her non-prescription glasses from her pocket and quickly putting them on. One downfall to having no eyelashes? Just about anything could get into her eyes. Caution had to be exercised. "Is this where I get my eyes burnt out for looking at you in your true form? That's what the books I read for research stated, anyways." If that was the case, then she should be losing her eyes at any given moment now.

Which was what surprised her. Her eyes were still there, and she could still see Castiel in his true glory, wings and all. "This is...your Heaven." His wings remained curled around her for the sake of warmth and shielded her from the seemingly endless blizzard. "You carry quite the terrible burden around with you, one with great pain. All of this snow...it won't lessen until you can forgive yourself for unnecessary things you blame yourself for." Wasn't he one to talk. The angel always looked so somber and sad, yet he was the one who told Reiko these things. "You blame yourself for your parents' deaths. You...did not cause their deaths."

She may not have, but they still died in front of her. They had blamed her for everything, but those smiles...in the last two seconds of their lives, they had smiled. Why then, why that one time? Never had they done that at any other point before. All of the questions Reiko wanted to ask now flooded her mind. "Cas...Castiel," she began, her voice thick with emotion, "are my parents...are they in Hell? For all that they've done, are they being punished?"

"They are not in Hell." That hadn't been easy for the angel to answer. He couldn't say anymore, and he took notice of how his wings weren't doing too much to warm the woman in front of him. So, he slowly reached his arms over and wrapped them around her waist gently. They traveled up her back, over her shirt. Oh, how skinny she was! "We cannot stay here. Your skin is very cold." This time, Castiel didn't wait. He shielded Reiko's eyes with one hand and returned them to her dormitory room. Again. "You lack in weight. I would advise you to eat more if you don't wish to die."

Busted. "Hey!" she raised her voice in protest. "My weight-"

"Sh sh sh sh sh sh." Castiel interrupted her protests by pressing a finger in front of her lips. The woman placed her hands on her sides when he did. He stepped closer and whispered in her ear, "Your peers can't hear me."

Great. Deep pink hues lowered in focus to the finger on her lips. The angel hadn't moved it away yet. Looking up at him, Reiko waited for him to move his finger away. When he finally did, she sighed in relief. "That means they can't see you either...which means I could very well be talking to myself right now." Castiel nodded. "Oh..." She had to be careful. Her voice quieted to that of a whisper. "...you know, some of us can't help what we have and don't have. I can't gain weight to save my life...I've been trying for four years. Nada." Her arms folded in front of her after she said this. What was she to do? Become a couch potato for three months?

The hand that had the attached finger on her lips earlier? It moved to gently grasp Reiko's waist from her left side. Castiel could easily hold it. His other hand shushed her with a finger in front of her lips as a surprised squeak came out. "There is a way for you to gain weight," he told her, "but it's...viewed as unconventional." Reiko's eyes widened. What did Castiel mean by that? Her mind wandered to various medical procedures and surgeries. "I'll give you time to consider it."

He was gone.

* * *

Note: For those who follow any of my other stories, I realise that this chapter is a bit shorter in length than what I usually write. One thing could very easily be seen as grossly out of character in this chapter, and I'm fully aware of it. Remember that for future reference is all I'll suggest. :)


	3. Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of the Supernatural series. All I do is show my love for writing by incorporating Reiko Souma and her guardian (both of whom belong to me) into whatever I enjoy. Also, please keep in mind that I only started to watch the television series on DVD at the end of August and am now all caught up with the series. I've decided to keep this story seasons behind without strictly following the storyline so as not to spoil the plot for those who are still catching up. Please bear with me, and feel free to give feedback in whatever way you want.

This story is based on an idea of a pairing that I - laugh if you want - half-envisioned during class one day, half-dreamed about one night. I hope you enjoy a slightly unique twist on CastielxOC that doesn't take him out of character!

I'm dedicating this story to all of my followers on my Reiko Souma role-play page on Facebook. Congratulations, and thank you, to all of you for doing your part on Facebook! We did this together! :D

* * *

 _"There is a way for you to gain weight," he told her, "but it's...viewed as unconventional." Reiko's eyes widened. What did Castiel mean by that? Her mind wandered to various medical procedures and surgeries. "I'll give you time to consider it."_

 _He was gone._

* * *

Camden, New Jersey. It was hard to believe that such a dangerous city could be called home. Yet it's been Reiko's home for so many years and continued to be. Every place has its safe and unsafe points, but looking at this city...well, safe meant going any amount of time without having your house shot up with bullets or your body shot up with drugs to numb the effects of being in such an environment. Fortunately, the woman was in the one part of Camden where people were relatively left alone. It was, unbelievably, the safest part of the city that she and her guardian lived in.

Reiko hoped to change that one day. As much as she wanted to retain the memories of her parents' final seconds of their lives, it was simply unnecessary to stay in the same house that she had spent her entire life in. Her future was a bright one, now that she was a giant leap closer to living out her dream of being a fully-licensed holistic psychologist. Camden simply wasn't the place where she wanted to live the rest of her life was all. There was so much more to life than the most dangerous city in the United States.

Thoughts of her next step to take jogged circular laps around the bubblegum pink-haired woman's mind. She sat in the backseat of the dark maroon Crown Victoria that served as a taxi to deliver her from the Camden County Airport to her house. How fortunate she was for her guardian being on familiar terms with some of the employees. Said airport was privately-owned and, although it was open for public use, there were restrictions in place. Make your own arrangements if you can. Just be prepared to pay extra for the best accommodations.

Finally, the taxi slowed to a stop in front of the modest two-level house. Hedges cleverly disguised the majority of the iron wrought fence so that only the spiked tips were visible at the very top, two metres later that is. Reiko was more than happy to pay the cabdriver with a generous tip once she had unloaded some of her things from the trunk. The rest were on their way back and would arrive any day now, but she just wanted to enjoy being back at home.

Much to her surprise, Shourim didn't come outside to greet her right away. That itself was odd. Maybe he's planning a surprise party and is just waiting for me to step through the door, or so she thought. After bringing her luggage to the porch and setting them to one side, Reiko opened the door. "Shourim?" she called.

"Who are you?" wasn't what Reiko expected her guardian to ask or say upon opening the door.

"'Who are you?' What do you mean? It's me, Reiko. I live here when I'm not away at university." Had the man contracted Alzheimer's recently? Dementia? "I'm a fully-licensed psychologist, Sho-Sho-kun, not a neurologist. Joke's over." Reiko waited for Shourim to step aside.

When he didn't, the woman levelled her eyes. "I've never seen you before," he said.

 _Oh no...he's not joking. This isn't like him, either. Shourim would never do this!_ Nervousness was suppressed as Reiko tried to figure out what was going on. "Castiel..." The name slipped through her lips without her thinking. "...I'm not expecting you to come, but an idea of what to do would be nice. Angel...demon...incantation...mantra..." Reiko's hands slipped into her pockets and landed on a bunch of packets. When she took them out, they were salt packets. "...salt." During a layover, she had taken a bunch of them to use with her breakfast. Last night's sky high dinner would have tasted incredibly bland to the point of having to toss the entire meal, had the woman not have grabbed two handfuls of them and used a few. Now she ripped the packets open and dumped the contents right onto Shourim's skin. He started to scream. "Shourim?!"

"Get away from him now, Reiko!" The woman's pink eyes widened. Castiel! One second was a strong hand on her arm. One second later, Reiko was pulled over to the Angel. "You were smart to dump salt directly onto his skin. A human who's possessed by a demon reacts to salt, but they also react to something called holy water."

"I thought that was only in horror movies," a confused Reiko said, "you mean to tell me that stuff really exists?"

Castiel nodded. Placing the palm of his hand against Shourim's forehead, he spoke a few words in some language that Reiko had never heard of before. Then her guardian's mouth opened wide, and a black wisp seemed to spill from his mouth like a busted dam. Castiel caught him and carried him inside, Reiko following close behind with her first two suitcases. The rest of her luggage was still outside, where it could stay for now. A, "what just happened?" look was shot in the Angel's direction.

"Somebody in your city was possessed by a Demon, and they came into contact with your guardian to get him possessed. You did the right thing, Reiko, by pouring salt on him instead of touching him. Otherwise, you would be possessed as well." Castiel turned to face Reiko. He saw the confused look on her face and moved closer, still as serious-faced and sorrow-eyed as ever. "This is an example of what my Father sends us Angels to do for people in this world, Reiko."

The woman nodded. "So, you and your kind go around saving people...even if they don't believe in your god?" she asked. "I don't believe in any god or deity. Why does your father want you to help me, Castiel?"

"I'm sensing that you're close." He stayed in front of her.

"The forbidden hug and kiss to my temple?" Reiko pressed. "I read that your god doesn't like that...at least, in most of those books that I read."

Castiel placed one hand on her left cheek. "He doesn't," he told her, "but...you're not like anybody else to me. People don't notice you. You blend into a crowd despite your unusual physical features and are acknowledged by nobody. You trust nobody...but you want to have all of those things...and more." That marked the second thing that the Angel wasn't wrong about. It was definitely something that the woman wasn't about to admit to aloud, just as she still hasn't told anybody about seeing or talking to Castiel. "Aside from your guardian, you see everybody else as an anomaly. Even me." When Reiko nodded, he continued. "We're not out to get you, Reiko."

The woman glanced in Shourim's direction. He was laying on the couch, his indigo eyes shut. "What's going to happen to him? Is he at risk of getting possessed again?" Reiko asked, changing the subject. If Shourim had been vulnerable to possession, then she took that to mean that she could be vulnerable as well.

"He'll wake up later on and might remember some things, but humans are always vulnerable. That means you as well." Confirmation number one.

"How do I know if someone is possessed? Ah, other than the salt and...holy water."

"Their eyes. Black eyes are the most noticeable sign of a human who is possessed." Castiel pointed to the empty salt packets that were in the woman's hands. "Carry as many of those with you as you can, even if you never use them." Great. That meant buying a box of salt packets at the store, or just carrying a canister of them with her. Packets were more convenient, but took longer to open and use. Canisters were bulky, but easier to use. "Stay still for a moment."

What? The woman followed Castiel's hand with her eyes. Placing it over her sternum on her chest, he said a few words. Then he pressed a couple of fingers against her and moved his hand away. "What did you just do?"

"I put an anti-possession charm on you by planting it on your sternum," the Angel answered, "you're under protection from demonic possession now." Disbelief filled Reiko's eyes. Then logic took over as she thought this over. She couldn't be possessed by a demon, but she could still be attacked by a demon-possessed person. After seeing her guardian become possessed and try attacking her, there was no denying the existence of Demons or Angels. "You still question?" Castiel asked after moving his hand away.

Reiko shook her head. "Thinking. Why should I be the only one to receive protection from an evil possession when I wasn't the one who was possessed? If anything, then my guardian needs it more than I do...even if I have to do something to earn protection for him-"

"That won't be necessary, Reiko." Don't think she didn't catch him looking her up and down. Angels obviously haven't seen a woman carry pink and white features on her person as naturally as Reiko does on a daily basis. "You have done more than enough by heeding my words and coming back to this place. Even if you don't believe in my Father."

"You know what will convince me that he exists, that there really is some god? Seeing my parents one more time, giving them a hug, and telling them that I love them. That I'm sorry for all the times I disappointed them whilst they were alive." Reiko's shoulders started to shake. "You or your god do that, and I'll-" _Cough, cough._ Her shoulders were shaking because she was trying to hold back a coughing fit. "I'll-" Another cough escaped her lips, and she fell to her knees. Her hands grabbed onto Castiel's sleeve-covered arms. "-try to breathe..." She shut her eyes, her breaths coming in short gasps.

Not breathing right. Castiel grabbed the woman's arms and pulled her onto her feet. Then he swept her into his arms bridal-style and carried her over to the second sofa. "I will heal you, but you must also heed my earlier warning." Placing his hand over her chest, he focused for a moment. When he moved it away, Reiko was breathing easier once more. "The burden on your shoulders will hospitalise you if you do not begin to remove it from your shoulders-"

"I still don't even know where to start. Or how," Reiko cut in, "but thank you. For stopping my attack." She glanced towards the open door. "The demon. How do I find him?"

"All right." He owed the woman that much of an explanation after she'd taken the risk of ignorantly throwing salt at her demon-possessed guardian. "You look at the colour of their eyes. They don't always show it, but somebody whose vessel has been possessed by a Demon will show black eyes. A single touch from one of the possessed will possess another, but I've put an anti-possession charm on your sternum. No matter what, you cannot be possessed by a Demon." He had explained this to her once already, but some people had to hear it again before it could sink in fully. Reiko was one of those people.

Reiko sat up; she pointed to Shourim. "What about him? I don't want him to be possessed again, especially when he's a doctor. A lot of people trust him with and owe him their lives...if he becomes possessed again, then a lot of people could die."

 _She has a point._ Castiel would have to give Shourim the same seal as well, but risk abusing his power at the same time...Hell. If his Father wanted him to watch over Reiko, then keeping Shourim safe was part of it. He rose and walked over to the unconscious guardian just as Reiko rose and walked back outside to bring the rest of her luggage inside. The door had been open far longer than necessary and needed to be shut, and her luggage couldn't stay in the parlour. Part of her had a good feeling that she could trust the Angel to not hurt her guardian after he had helped her, so she let them be as she carried her stuff to her bedroom.

The woman slowly sank to her hands and knees once she had come back downstairs from her room and started to sob quietly. "Castiel..." wept Reiko. In a flash, the Angel heard her calling his name and appeared in front of her. He kneeled down and watched her cry at first. "...I can't let go. I can't...I want to see them again. I-I want to touch them in the form of a hug. I want them to smile at me like they did twenty years ago, is that so wrong to ask of your god?"

"You called for me, Reiko." Still kneeling, he lifted Reiko's head with both hands. "You're safe now."

Were they safe from the bright light that suddenly filled the room? Reiko covered her eyes and crouched down, her request going unanswered for now. She felt something warm and soft, but otherwise solid, over her and realised that Castiel was covering her protectively. Something about this seemed to tell the woman that she shouldn't look up, so she squeezed her eyes shut instead. Whatever was happening, it seemed rather big.

"Hello, Castiel!" came a rather excited greeting. The light had finally vanished upon this sudden arrival. "Oh! What have we here? Playing the role of protector like you're supposed to, I see. But I wonder, why protect her from me?"

Reiko finally opened her eyes. The look on her face, however, was that of confusion. _Who is he, and why should it matter whether Castiel protects me from him or not?_ She tipped her head upwards slightly to find a pair of polished black shoes standing before her and the Angel. She didn't know what was going on and wasn't sure whether she wanted to. Her head lifted a little bit higher, just enough to catch a glance of the face. He resembled that of an older man who looked no older than fifty. "That bright light...was you?" Reiko asked.

The man knelt down. "Aren't you the observant one," he said. He looked at the crouched-over woman and grinned. "I'm Zechariah. If you're this close with Castiel already, then you know what we are." Which was exactly why Reiko looked down right away. Zechariah noticed right away and quickly reached to place his finger beneath Reiko's chin.

"That's enough, Zechariah. She's done nothing wrong." The angel's eyes seemed to bore right into the older being's as he stared. "I have my orders-"

This Zechariah didn't seem to want to hear much from Castiel. "You have your orders. That's funny...good one there, Castiel." He moved his hand away from Reiko and stood, turning his attention away from the now confused woman. "I don't suppose our loving Father's orders include emotional attachment to the human you're supposed to be protecting. Do they."

Now there was a way to successfully confuse Reiko further. What exactly was she being protected from? Forget about the why. It had to be dangerous enough for Castiel to be tasked with such an "order," as she's heard repeatedly. She wanted to say that accidents happen, but the very minor physical contact was definitely not that. Reiko was learning firsthand that angels really did know little about human beings. The question was, did they want to know?

She was tempted to ask. Instead, she looked up when she heard loud knocks at the front door. "Nobody knows that I'm here except for Shourim...and you two," she stated, "unless it's one of his friends or colleagues?" Reiko stood and started for the door. The loud knocks got louder and had a new set of loud bangs added to it before she was close enough, so she paused. "I don't think this is company of the friendly kind..." Rather than open the door, she made sure it was locked and backed away quickly. Castiel was quick to stand between Reiko and the door. "...what do they want? Assuming they're some of Shourim's patients that he made contact with when he was possessed."

"I'm not sure," Castiel answered, "but stay behind me."

Zechariah stood to one side. "I know who they're here for." He pointed to Reiko, whose eyes widened in surprise. Why her? "Now listen." A still-confused woman did just that. Move? She had no intention to do so. Listening revealed silence at first, apart from the pounding at her front door. Then, all of a sudden, screams of all pitches and volumes came from outside. Outside seemed to become very dark as the screams continued.

"Wh-what's going on? Why do the demons want me?" Reiko asked Zechariah. She looked from the back of Castiel's head to the older angel as she asked this. "I'm no one special. I don't have any special juju inside of me. I'm just a psychology graduate-"

"Shut her up, Castiel!" The brunette turned and clamped his hand over Reiko's mouth, silencing her. She saw the apologetic look on his face and silently forgave him, but not before glaring first. Her glaring eyes quickly shifted to the older-looking of the two. Zechariah was quiet until the noise outside died down at last. "Well, she's not so dim-witted after all!" He clapped once. "You're definitely no one special, that's for sure. Except to them. Why, I don't know. What've you seen recently?"

Reiko's glare dropped faster than a bomb. She glanced at Zechariah first, and then Castiel. Zechariah nodded, and the hand moved away from Reiko's mouth. "Airplanes, the Pacific Ocean, my finals, graduation, Castiel..." Reiko frowned. "...it's not because I talk to you two, is it?"

"No. Continue." She frowned at Zechariah, but continued anyways.

"I spent some time at the campus library after Castiel introduced himself to me in his first visit and read some books to try understanding the basics of angels and your god, what you're all about and believe in." That was the only other thing she could have done. "But, you two are the first to know about this. I haven't even had the chance to tell Shourim-"

"What books?" Castiel interrupted this time.

"I don't know. They were different sizes – no Bible, but some of them were kind of old." Now Castiel gripped her shoulder. "Ow! That hurts. I bruise easily...what is it?" The two didn't answer at first. "Come on, you two. What's wrong?"

The angels exchanged glances. "We have got to find those books before anybody else does, Reiko," Castiel told her.

Before she could object, she blinked a single time to find herself back in the university library.

"Castiel?" Reiko called.

* * *

My deepest apologies to those who have been waiting for this chapter to be posted! Life happened. I'm also all caught up with the series now, so this story will eventually catch up with the end of season eleven as well. For those who haven't quite caught up yet, don't worry. I won't spoil anything for you. :)

Any reviews that are left will be posted below my notes, starting with the next chapter.


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